Molded fletchings are common in the archery industry and have been applied to both arrows and bolts for bow hunting. One such molded configuration is available from Outer Limit which provides pre-molded fletchings around a cylindrical carrier which is slipped over the arrow shaft. It is noted that the goal of the fletching is to produce sufficient drag to be able to stabilize the arrow in flight and to be able to control the proper amount of spin of the arrow. Note that the fletchings must be of a sufficient size to produce sufficient drag. The fletchings can also be angled with respect to the center line of the arrow shaft to be able to produce the desired amount of spin. Normally three straight pieces of plastic are used as fletchings mounted on a cylindrical carrier.
Whether the fletchings are mounted aligned with the center line of the arrow shaft or are canted to provide a rotation of the arrow in flight, when there is a crosswind, the trajectory of the arrow is such that the arrow does not go in the direction that it is originally aimed. When the wind catches these fletchings from the side the arrow is deflected off course. Most importantly, what can happen is that the arrow spin can stall. Thus the crosswind can actually stop the arrow from spinning. Moreover the force of the crosswind pushing on the arrow sideways causes the arrow to fly off course and miss the target. Thus the aerodynamic properties of straight molded fletchings are such as to be particularly sensitive to crosswinds.